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Mourners remember the victims of a vicious attack at a Belgian nursery and (right) suspect 20-year-old Kim De Gelder.

Knifeman voices regret over baby killing

January 27, 2009 - 5:59AM

The suspect in a gruesome knife attack at a Belgian nursery has
voiced regret about the killing of two babies and a woman,
according to his lawyer, as a fresh murder accusation emerged.

Although 20-year-old Kim De Gelder has refused so far to speak
about the attack with authorities, he broke his silence in a first
conversation with his lawyer on Monday, the Belga news agency
reported.

"He understands that what he did was inhuman. I think that he
feels regret. That's what he says, but it would be going too far to
say that he repents,'' Belga reported lawyer Jaak Haentjes as
saying.

"It was a constructive discussion, about his life, but also the
incident. The reason why he chose babies in a creche as his victims
remains a mystery. I want to know why he did that. He too, he is
ready to help in that sense,'' Haentjes said.

Earlier, prosecutor Christian Du Four said that De Gelder was
probably also responsible for the "abominable'' stabbing murder of
an elderly woman on January 16.

"There were very concrete elements linking the two incidents,''
Du Four told journalists, noting that both occurred on Fridays at
roughly the same time, without elaborating further.

De Gelder was charged on Saturday with killing two babies, aged
six and nine months, and a nurse in a macabre knife attack at a
creche in Dendermonde, north-west of Brussels, on Friday.

However, his lawyer said that De Welder had no knowledge of the
murder of the elderly woman in nearby Beveren.

The elderly woman's murder had left authorities puzzled as there
was no obvious motive with no signs of theft. She was found stabbed
to death in her apartment while her husband was at the
neighbours.

According to Flemish television channel VRT, incriminating
evidence against De Gelder had been found at the site of the
woman's murder.

The nursery killings sent shockwaves through the country and
thousands of horrified and grieving Belgians marched through
Dendermonde on Sunday in a grim procession which police said drew
as many as 8,000 people.

On Monday evening, Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy was among
hundreds who gathered outside the creche in tribute to the
victims.

Van Rompuy, along with several government ministers, bowed
before a monument erected in memory of those killed as victims'
parents looked on from the front row.

The prosecutor said De Gelder probably would have committed
attacks on other nurseries during his rampage on Friday if police
had not arrested him because he had a list with the names of three
creches, including the one where the drama occurred.

In the attack, a man barged into the day-care centre with
a 30-centimetre knife and began slashing some of the children
lying in beds, none more than three years old.

As well as the three killed, 10 children and two staff were
wounded, some seriously.

The nurse was killed as she tried to protect the children.

Du Four said that although black mascara had been found in De
Gelder's backpack, it was not clear whether he was made up at the
time of the knife attack as some witnesses have said.

Described in press interviews with former acquaintances as
"immature'', "shy'' and a "loner,'' De Gelder was also fan of
horror movies and video games.

After having little success with studies to be a nurse, he
worked in a shopping centre until he quit several months ago.